Moments in Life
by Wistful Winds
Summary: Various moments in Team Gai's life together. Rock Lee drives Neji Hyuga up the wall, though he and Tenten still manage to have a relationship. "'Don't you dare, Hyuga,' Tenten growled, dragging him back into the clearing. 'Don't you dare leave me alone with these insane idiots.'" Nejiten, Naruhina, AU, canon, drabbles.
1. 1

**I. Cafe**

Neji Hyuga stared out the window of the cafe, watching swirling snowflakes drift past lazily. It was very peaceful and quiet...except for the giggling group of girls at the next table. Neji growled slightly and turned up the music on his iPod, trying to ignore them. He'd come here to enjoy his tea, not listen to some idiot blond girl chatter about who was dating who.

He was almost done fantasizing about killing everyone with super sharp pencils when a brunette appeared at his table with an armful of books and a cup of coffee. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, and sat down across from him without waiting for a reply. "I'm Tenten." She spotted his pile of books and suddenly grabbed one of her own. "You know, I'm reading that book on ancient Japanese weapons too! Isn't it so interesting, the way they utilized gardening tools?"

"..." It was so damn hard trying to ignore someone right in front of him. Which was probably why he found himself actually replying five minutes later. Why it the most enjoyable conversation he'd had in years. And why he agreed to meet Tenten "Tomorrow, same time, don't be late!" And she'd breezed out as casually as she came.

It was only after he'd finished his tea (darjeeling, no sugar or milk) that Neji realized he'd basically agreed to go out on a_ date_. What had he gotten himself into...? He couldn't help quoting one of his friends. "Troublesome..." Neji muttered.

**II. Picture Perfect**

"Neji, get over here," Tenten called, pushing him in front of a camera. "We're taking a team picture!"

Neji sighed. The last time they took one had been a year ago, and it'd taken at least an hour for an acceptably "youthful" photo.

Maybe this time he could get out of it. Very unlikely, but worth a try. He started backing out of the clearing, careful not to make a sound until he was almost out. "I need to go to the compound, family business..." he called before making a run for it.

"Don't you dare, Hyuga." Tenten growled, dragging him back into the clearing. "Don't you dare leave me alone with these insane idiots."

_Darn it... _Neji sighed and took his place, forcing a slight smile.

"Smile, my youthful students!" Gai-sensei boomed. There was a click, and then the camera flashed. "What a youthful photo!"

"But Gai-sensei, we weren't ready!" Lee sobbed.

How were they not ready? They smiled and posed, didn't they?

"I am so sorry, my youthful students! Let us do it again!"

Neji sighed. Oh, yes, this was going to take a long time.

**III. Chatter**

The branch Neji was sitting on trembled slighly, the only indication that Tenten had hopped on- from fifteen feet off the ground- to join him in the tree. "Hey Neji, mind if I...?"

The rest of her question was drowned out by crashing waves and the rest of the squad's members shouting.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Let us run fifty laps, my youthful student!"

Neji shrugged and closed his eyes.

"Well anyway... Kiba came up to me the other day while I was eating dango with Hinata. And I think he's jealous or something, 'cause he was all like, 'oh, what are you doing, you should be...'"

Neji closed his eyes and allowed Tenten's chattering to fade to background noise. The sunlight streamed through the trees, created dappling leaf shadows on the branches. It was peaceful at their training grounds, for once, since Lee and Gai ran off to who-knows-where doing push-ups and running laps.

He slipped into an almost meditative state, in the peace and quiet. He would never admit it, but being with Tenten was... Calming. And sort of nice.

He was almost asleep when Tenten hit his head with an angry, "Are you even listening to me, Hyuga?" and continued babbling.

'Troublesome...' Neji thought. And then: 'Damn, I'm starting to sound like the Nara.'

**IV. Unpredictable**

"Pass me a knife," Tenten called from the bathroom, voice slightly rough (they'd just battled a bunch of rats made out of sand, so no surprise there. Team Gai was on a mission in Suna, and Gaara had helpfully provided a five-star hotel room.

Neji grabbed a kunai and threw it through the open door, barely missing the mirror.

"Thanks, Neji-kun!" Sounds of ripping fabric drifted out. Neji continued looking for a clean set of clothes. "Tenten, where's my robe?" he finally asked.

"Erm. Well. You know how girls have periods? And sometimes they're unpredictable...? I forgot my pads so I had to borrow a shirt or robe thing. Hope you don't mind."

"..." Neji quietly planned fifty ways of killing her.

**V. Target Sighted**

Neji activated his byakugan, concentrating on the enemy nin spread out beneath his branch. _Two...three...five... _Neji counted in his head.

"Eight down there, Tenten," he called softly into his radio. They were a new series of tiny microphones connected to earwigs Tsunade had wanted them to try out. "Three are close enough for you to take down. I'll handle the two closest to the boulder, and Lee, you can take the remaining ones."

"Roger that!" Tenten whispered rather cheerfully for someone about to engage in battle.

"YOSH!" Lee added loudly.

Neji stifled a sigh as the ninja below them looked around at the sound. "Then go. Now." He waited until the leaves of the bushes across whistled, kunai flying out. And then, while the shinobi were distracted, he launched himself from the branch, gentle fist at the ready. _Targets Sighted_, he thought triumphantly at the surprised looks on their faces. _Mission (almost) accomplished._

**A/N: So this is a series I've started with the roleplays I make for my instagram account. They're mostly not-AU, all drabbles, NejiTen, and they'll be posted five drabbles in one chapter since they're so short. And they do follow a plot... kind of. So yeah. Enjoy :) Reviews/feedback would be wonderful!**


	2. 2

**I. Munch**

"YOSH! Lee, let us run three hundred laps around our youthful village to train!" Gai shouted.

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Gai grinned and flashed a thumbs-up before they sprinted off.

Neji and Tenten sighed and sat down in the shade. "They won't be back for a while..." Tenten took out a big box and set it between them. "Actually, I was kinda counting on that. I made some onigiri for us!" She took out a rice ball and started eating, leaning against him as she stared at the calm (for once) training grounds. Neji couldn't help staring for a moment. She was so...beautiful.

Dammit, what was he thinking. If she caught him staring... A mental image of huge battle axes and razor sharp needles came to mind. He quickly turned away and pulled out a rice ball shaped like a hippo. "Tenten... This rice ball..."

She turned. "Oh, that's Bert! There's Amelia and Candace right here," she pointed to two more hippos in the box, "and there's the family of penguins I made."

"..." Neji put Bert away and picked up a normal triangle onigiri.

So she named her food. Whatever. Lots of people did that... Right? She was still pretty either way.

Dammit, what was he thinking.

**II. First Kiss**

Neji didn't know how they ended up this way, but it was...nice, actually. And tingly. There seemed to be butterflies everywhere, and he could already feel a blush on his cheeks. She was holding him and they were... kissing. He almost cringed when he thought that word. And then his mind blanked out for a moment as he savored the feeling of being loved.

"So, that was your first right?" Tenten laughed teasingly when they had broken apart, gasping a bit. Neji's brain had finally cleared.

"Well... Maybe." Neji stared at her. "It wasn't yours?"

"Ha, well. Not really." She winked. "But you were the best. Kiba slobbered a lot."

Neji gaped._ Kiba?_ Kiba Inuzuka? That mutt, he was going to-

"But don't worry, that was years ago." Tenten was clearly amused by his jealousy. "And if it'll make you feel better..."

She pulled him into another kiss.

**III. Obnoxious Cousin**

Neji fumed silently, hurrying down hallway after hallway. That little munchkin followed him step for step, easily keeping pace while chattering in that stupid, annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"I like cake!" Hanabi suddenly shrieked, pulling Neji's hair. "Don't you like cake?"

"Please, Hanabi-sama. Do. Not. Pull. My. Hair."

She ignored him. "So anyways Konohamaru-kun is coming over, you wanna come plaaaaaay?"

"...no." Neji grimaced.

"Oooh I want cupcakes," she suddenly decided. "Neji, I demand you go and get me cupcakes!"

_Ignoreignoreignoreignore..._

"So what shampoo do you use? I bet it has a really gay name. Boys aren't supposed to have long, shiny, soft, smooth hair like yours. Hm, but then I guess you aren't normal, ne?"

"Shut up, Hanabi-sama," he finally growled. She stopped and stuck her tongue out. He just _knew_ there was a self-satisfied smile on her face as he stomped around the next corner.

"By the way, bring your boyfriend home next time!" she suddenly shouted.

_Do. Not. Explode... Remember those anger management lessons. Count calmly. Onetwothreeforfive..._

And Neji's teammates always wondered why he was in such a bad mood.

**IV. Kitty**

"Mrrooooowww!"

Neji brushed the wet hair out of his eyes and put away his umbrella, looking at the orange furball at his feet. It was meowing piteously, looking up with watery eyes. The sun had come out a few minutes ago, making the rain shine brightly on the pavement, though the cat was still soaking wet.

With a sigh, he considered his options. Not that there was much chance he could abandon the thing... Neji had already fallen victim to its cuteness.

Smiling slightly, he bent down and picked it up, settling it in the crook of his arm, before continuing on his way home. There weren't many people out on the streets. Neji had almost settled into a calmness, holding the cute thing, when he heard raucous laughter, and he turned to find that Inuzuka- Kiba or something, from Hinata's squad- pointing and laughing at him.

"Look at him! Neji's carrying a CAT!"

_Someone is going to be murdered tonight...slowly and painfully._

**V. Paper Smile**

"Neji, look!" Tenten ran up behind him, waving pieces of paper. She stopped beside him with a small _atchoo_ and a sniffle.

Neji sighed and wrapped part of his extra-long scarf (a gift from Hinata) around her neck. "It's not summer anymore, Tenten. Really, wear a sweatshirt or something."

She ignored him, sorting out her papers. "This one's for you," she handed him one, "and these ones are for Naruto and Sai when we meet them for the mission! Now then, cover half of your face, like this. Isn't it cute?"

Neji took in her huge, expectant smile, covered by a piece of paper with a fake smile on it- _what was the point?_- and, with another sigh, did as she asked.

"I knew I got the mouth right, it fits you perfectly!"

Neji only raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering why he was dating a girl like this. Though she did look pretty cute, smiling and blushing like that.

**A/N: Any reviews/feedback would be appreciated! :)**


	3. 3

**I. Play Fight**

Neji jumped onto the lake and away from Lee, sending ripples across the surface. Taking a moment to balance on the surface, he watched Lee's motions carefully.

_There. His muscles tensing, so... now._

"Hah!" The green beast lashed out again, and Neji ducked to avoid his super-fast roundhouse kick. There was a huge boom, and the birds scattered as Lee sent water flying everywhere.

They seemed to dance across the lake with blurred lines of motion, their attacks too fast for any eye to follow. Neji focused on dodging and staying afloat. Lee had grown much stronger these past few days, probably because of their routine fights with each other.

_Just wait until Tenten comes out of hiding_, he thought to himself. _Then it'll be even harder_.

But Neji liked these play fights, liked the way they could spend time together and have fun even though they were all jounin now. He liked how he could still predict their moves, and how they still managed to surprise him. He liked the way it kept their friendship alive and...youthful, for lack of a better word. He would never be caught saying such a thing though.

For now, he concentrated in winning, dodging a barrage of weapons thrown from the depths of a nearby forest. The loser had to treat them to dinner, after all, and god knew how much they ate after such exercise.

**II. Sleepy**

A slight noise sounded in the quiet Hyuga house, one of their nightingale floors creaking, and immediately Neji was up and searching through the darkness. "Who's there?" he called softly. No one answered.

Leaving his guard post (he guarded this hallway and Hinata's room every Wednesday from midnight to seven in the morning), he crept in front of Hinata's room, protecting it from the intruder.

As he looked around alertly, Neji tried to figure out his next move. If he activated his byakugan, he'd be able to see, but what if the chakra gave away his position...

The decision was made for him when a kunai appeared at his throat, the coldness leaking into his skin. "Hey, girly," a hoarse voice whispered.

Byakugan it is, then...

Swiftly turning, Neji grabbed the person, byakugan flaring, and closed his tenketsu.

"I'm a boy, by the way," he sniffed, throwing the body out the window.

**II. Overworked**

Neji staggered slightly behind Tenten as they passed through the village gates. Normally, an A-Rank mission involving rogue jounin and five scrolls wouldn't leave him as exhausted. But this time, that bastard Kiba Inuzuka- the mutt- had also been there. Driven by some testosterone-fueled idea that he still needed to compete with the Inuzuka for Tenten, Neji had proceeded to kill every single one of them using his most graceful moves. And Tenten was STILL scolding him.

"I mean seriously, Neji, why did you do it? You had a whole squad behind you, and we could've taken care of it!"

Neji grunted. Whatever, as long as the Inuzuka got the message.

"Oh, now I have to take you to the hospital. Geez Neji. You are so-" And then she suddenly stopped, and turned to stare at him. "No way," she muttered incredulously. "No. Freaking. Way. Are you still jealous?"

Neji grunted again, in what he really, really hoped was a noncommittal way.

"You are jealous!"

Tenten stopped abruptly and he crashed into her, groaning. "Neji, really! I kissed Kiba YEARS ago, there's nothing between us now! Honest! So you can just relax and stop showing off like a prick and just let the rest of us..."

The rest of her speech faded away as Neji slumped and leaned against her, finally letting the chakra depletion get to him. _There's nothing between Kiba and Tenten, _he reassured himself with a tiny smile_. That mutt means nothing to her. _Dimly, he heard her scolding again, before everything went blank.

**III. I'm Back**

Neji stumbled through the village gates, supporting Lee on one side and Gai-sensei on the other.

_Home sweet home_, he thought wryly, looking up at the cloudy gray sky. Nearly two months behind schedule, they had finally made it back to the Leaf Village.

_Tenten_, he suddenly remembered. _We've got to find her, who knows if she even believes we're still alive..._

"Team... Gai...?" One of the gatekeepers- Kotetsu, maybe- rushed over to them, grabbing Gai's other arm and helping them towards the hospital. "Where have you been, everyone thinks you're dead and-" He suddenly stopped short.

"What is it?" Neji demanded, barely keeping himself on his feet, feeling the blood rush to his head.

"They've already held a funeral, though I understand Tenten refused to attend..."

Neji was gone before he was done.

He raced through the forest as fast as his injuries would allow, searching for her. She would probably be in that one particular clearing, where they had first met as genin, where they'd started on their career path. Though maybe he wouldn't have to search that hard. The continuous _thunk_ of sharp metal hitting tree trunk was a clear indicative of where Tenten was.

"I always knew where to find you," he called, pausing at the edge to take in her beauty.

Tenten spun around, weapons clattering to the ground in her wake.

"Ne...ji...?"

He held out his arms. "I'm back."

Tenten felt the tears start to drip down her face, warm and wet- her boys...They were home, finally- and then flung herself into his arms.

**IV. Shampoo**

Despite what most people said or thought, Neji didn't despise all of his main family member cousins. There were maybe one or two, okay just one, whom he didn't loathe. She could be pretty annoying though.

"Hey Neji Neji Neji!" the loud cry rang through the early morning and Neji cringed slightly.

He stopped with a sigh and let his cousin Hanabi catch up.

"Nejiiii, I like your hair!" the ten year old screeched, jumping up and swiping at his hair. "It's so soft! What shampoo do you use?"

"Um...what?" Neji moved his hair out of the way and stared down at her confusedly.

Oh, but sometimes these stupid girl cousins could be so damn annoying.

"Your shampoo, dummy." The little girl pouted and glared at him.

"Well, I'm not gonna tell you. Why don't you run off and play like a normal little girl." He continued down the hallway.

"No!" Hanabi ran after him feet pitter-pattering on the wooden floor.

He could hear that she was almost in tears, and he sighed. "Come catch me," he called from the next intersection, byakugan slightly activated. "Catch me if you can."

Neji cared about her quite a lot, actually.

**V. Ready or Not**

Gai-sensei raised his arm, three fingers held up, teeth sparkling. "When I get to one, my youthful students, let us start this tag team battle of the ages!"

Neji sighed as, abruptly, his sensei's face fell and he started crying, grabbing Lee and hugging him. "We won't be together but I know you shall do fine with Naruto as your youthful partner!"

"Yes Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Neji turned away before he had to witness the sparkling ocean and sunset.

"...now, to get us back on track..." Kakashi sighed and looked up from his book. Probably something with a lot of..._inappropriate things_. "Will the competing teams please line up."

Tenten and Neji took their place on the starting line, scratched with a stick in the dirt, along with Sai and Sakura, and Naruto with Lee.

"Okay, now, three two one go. Whatever."

Neji blinked in surprise before he quickly hid in the bushes. He and Tenten sweat dropped when they heard Kakashi mutter, "Stupid competition. Dragging my whole team in, why did I even agree...? Ah, this part is getting good..."

"Let's just camp out here," Tenten said cheerfully, pulling Neji behind a particularly dense patch of undergrowth. "Lee's the only one participating seriously anyway, let's just eat these riceballs I packed! Aren't they cute, I made one shaped like Bert the hippo again."

They had just started when Sai jumped on top of them, brush and scroll out and ready, smiling dangerously. "I found you~~"

Neji and Tenten glanced at each other for a second, not even needing words, before they'd jumped back and gotten into formation.

"Here we come!" Tenten grinned, taking out her weapons, and they charged.

**A/N: Reviews would be wonderful!**


	4. 4

**A/N: New format; less spam for anyone following. Enjoi~~**

**I. I'm Off**

Neji checked through his weapons supply once last time, read through the mission details, and slipped his pack up onto his shoulders. He glanced into the apartment once more and, slipping his mask on, was just about to slip out when the light flickered on behind.

"Neji, where are you going...?" A feminine voice asked behind him.

He sighed, annoyed, and turned to face Tenten. "I have a mission."

Blearily running her hands through tangled hair, she closed her robe and leaned against the bedroom doorway. "Why didn't you tell me-"

"For Anbu," he clarified. _And that's exactly why I didn't want to tell you... You worry too much._

"I see..." Tenten looked down, probably hiding her fear, before she grinned and suddenly hugged him. "Well... Be safe then, alright? I'll be here. Waiting for you. Stop by when you're dead."

"You make sure you come back, or else," she whispered. Neji felt himself grinning. It was nice to have someone that cared so much for him.

"I'm off, then," he whispered back, stealing a kiss before disappearing.

**II. Got You**

Neji wrapped the cloak around himself, against the howling wind and rain, lifting his mask for a moment to wipe the rain off his face before looking around for the right street. He slipped through tiny alleyways towards the main thoroughfare, looking for the target.

He trudged along a street, shop lights flashing out into the darkness. _Tenten would like those bracelets_, he thought randomly, looking into one of the windows. Little children raced along the sidewalks, swarming around his legs.

"Sorry, mister!" a group of kids screamed as they ran by, almost tangling themselves in his cloak.

Neji sighed. This village in the outer provinces of Fire Country was too loud for his liking. And how was he even supposed to kill the target when there were so many people on the streets?

He narrowed his eyes when he noticed a black jacket sleeve flapping from around a distant corner.

"Byakugan," he whispered. _Target sighted._ "I have you now." He couldn't help smiling as jumped up to the nearest building's roof. If he finished up fast enough maybe he could get that bracelet before the shops closed up.

**III. Savior**

"Hey, mister?"

Masked, Neji looks down at the little kid tugging on his blood-splattered cloak. He's about to tell the kid to go home, that it's not safe to wander about at night alone, especially in this village of ruffians and rogues, on the outskirts of Fire Country. Then he noticed two familiar people standing a little ways behind, clutching each other and smiling fondly at them.

_It's the couple I saved from the missing nin,_ he realizes.

"Mister," the kid is tugging more impatiently now, trying to catch his attention again. "Thanks for saving us."

He hasn't even noticed the kid, not when there was his target so close. Neji smiles all the same and, realizing his face can't be seen, he takes off his mask just for a second.

"You're welcome." Neji feels chakra behind him, recognizing the signature as his second target, and his eyes fly in that direction. "Go home now, kid," he says gruffly, patting his head once and then turning away.

When he activates his byakugan he sees the kid's eyes sparkling with adoration. _The way Tenten looks when she talks about Tsunade-sama_, he thinks._ How weird._

**IV. Always**

Familiar chocolate hair, done up in chocolate buns, barely visible through the leaves of the tree just inside the village gates. Neji tries not to rush too much- he is nursing a few broken ribs, hastily bandaged cuts- but as soon as he steps through the gates he scales the tree and steps lightly onto Tenten's branch.

"Tenten." He can hear her gasp, and then there is a moment of green-ish brown blurriness before dust rises up with a jarring thump. She ends up sprawled over him on the dirt floor, hugging him tightly.

"Neji! Oh my gosh, I was so worried, you didn't come back from your mission so I thought something went wrong, and are you bleeding, and-"

He laughs softly. "I'll always come back for you," he whispers reassuringly, hugging her back. "Always."_  
_

**V. Cupcakes**

Lately, Neji noticed, Hinata had been extremely happy. She would bounce around the house humming, cleaning happily, and then go outside whistling to tend to her precious plants. And she would bake. A lot. (Sometimes Neji wondered if it had to Naruto asking her out, though he didn't see how anyone could be happy with that blond idiot.) Other times she simply sat in her room, sliding door open to nature, and hum while rearranging a vase of flowers over and over again.

And doing up the hair, too; that was the most annoying part. In the middle of sparring the Hyuga heiress would randomly stop and fix her bangs.

Today she'd become even more obsessive.

Neji had just settled down in his room with Lee and Tenten for an after-training snack when the door crashed open, and Hinata came in bearing a tray of cupcakes.

"Nii-san," she said cheerfully, sweeping away the mochi and dango he had prepared (they landed on the tea tray set on the floor, sending up sad poofs of flour), "I made cupcakes for everyone." Hinata put one an a plate and handed it to him with a pair of chopsticks. "Here you go!"

"Umm... Hinata-sama, may I ask what the occasion is...?" he asked, confused. Tenten's expression clearly said_ "What the heck,_" and even Lee looked slightly disturbed.

"Nothing," she said, smiling cheerfully, as she'd been doing nonstop the past few weeks. "I just baked a few extra cupcakes and I thought I'd give them to you guys!"

_A few extra, huh?_ Neji thought skeptically, eyeing the big pile and accepting the plate.

**A/N: Told you there was a plot somewhere ;) *Fishes in a pond full of reviews***


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